´It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar that:` The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in I’tikaf. Nafi' said: " Abdullah bin 'Umar showed me the place where the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe I'tikaf."
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Although i‘tikaf means to remain in the mosque, it is understood from the Sunnah that even within the mosque, a specific place should be designated, and the time of i‘tikaf should be spent in that very spot.
➋ The purpose of setting up a partitioned area for i‘tikaf is also so that as much time as possible is spent in that tent.
➌ If a person performs i‘tikaf every year in the same part of the mosque, this is permissible, whereas it is not correct to designate a specific place in the mosque for prayer. In the home, this is also permissible.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 1773
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
The mosque alone is the legislated and Sunnah place for i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat), as the Noble Qur’an has mentioned: (And do not have relations with them while you are in i‘tikaf in the mosques) (: al-Baqarah: 187), and as long as you are in i‘tikaf in the mosques, do not approach your wives.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2465